When you abash someone, you make her feel uncomfortable, ashamed, embarrassed, or inferior.

If someone is addled by something, he or she is confused by it and unable to think properly.

When you ascertain the truth of something, you determine or find it out for certain.

If something bewilders you, you are very confused or puzzled by it.

If you describe a system or process as byzantine, it means that you are criticizing it because it is excessively complicated and difficult to understand.

If something confounds you, it makes you feel surprised and confused, often because it does not meet your predefined expectations.

To confute an argument is to prove it to be thoroughly false; to confute a person is to prove him to be wrong.

A conundrum is a problem or puzzle that is difficult or impossible to solve.

Something convoluted, such as a concept or procedure, is complex and takes many twists and turns.

If you discern something, especially something that is not obvious, you notice, detect, or perceive it, especially after thinking about it carefully or studying it.

If something discomfits you it makes you feel embarrassed, confused, uncomfortable, or frustrated.

If something disconcerts you it makes you feel anxious, worried, or confused.

When one feels disquiet about a situation, one feels very worried or nervous.

If you elucidate something you make it easier to understand by giving more relevant information.

If a fact or idea eludes you, you cannot remember or understand it.

Someone or something that is enigmatic is mysterious and difficult to understand.

Exegesis is a detailed explanation or interpretation of a piece of writing, especially a religious one.

To explicate an idea or plan is to make it clear by explaining it.

If you fathom something complicated or mysterious you are able to understand it.

A garbled message or speech is confusing and not understandable, often because it is spoken in a hurry or is communicated with lots of accompanying noise.

If an idea or thought is incisive it is expressed both clearly and briefly, and demonstrates real understanding of related issues.

Someone who is speaking in an incoherent fashion cannot be understood or is very hard to understand.

Something inscrutable is very hard to figure out, discover, or understand what it is all about.

Someone who is irresolute is unable to decide what to do.

If you describe a situation or process as labyrinthine, you mean that it is very complicated, involved, and difficult to understand.

Something that is latent exists but is not active or has not developed at the moment, but may develop or become active in the future.

If you describe speech or writing as limpid, it is clear, simple, and easily understood; if you describe something, such as water or eyes, as limpid you mean that it is clear or transparent.

If someone is lucid she is able to understand things and think clearly; lucid is especially used when someone was not always able to do this because of illness or confusion.

When something is luminous it is bright and glowing.

If you are nonplussed, you are so surprised and confused that you are not sure what to do or say.

To obfuscate something is to make it deliberately unclear, confusing, and difficult to understand.

If you say something is opaque it means that it is either difficult to understand or is not transparent.

An overt act is not hidden or secret, but is done in an open and public way.

A paradox is a statement that appears to be self-contradictory or unrealistic, but may surprisingly express a possible truth.

A patent situation is one that is wide open and unconcealed; it is both evident and obvious.

Something that is pellucid is either extremely clear because it is transparent to the eye or it is very easy for the mind to understand.

When you are perplexed about something you are completely confused or baffled by it.

Someone who demonstrates perspicacity notices or understands things very quickly.

When you resolve a problem, you solve it or come to a decision about it.

To be unfazed is to not be affected by something that happens to you, even if it is quite embarrassing or bothersome.

To be unlettered is to be illiterate, or unable to read and write.

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Verb

decipher

di-SAHY-fer

Context

The dedicated scholar Dr. Skimwise spent weeks attempting to decipher and figure out the mysterious text from the library. In his desire to analyze and decipher the writing from this unique book, he often forgot to eat or sleep, spending hours reading the complex strings of words. After a great deal of mind-numbing effort, Skimwise decided that the book was just too difficult to understand: it was simply indecipherable. This was quite a blow to Dr. Skimwise’s professional reputation as one able to decipher and decode just about any language.

Memory Hook

December Pheromones One December we all of a sudden had a horde of ladybugs descend on our farm, and later deciphered that the female ladybugs were sending out pheromones or chemicals which attracted the male ladybugs, and they were all having a big party!

Examples

The studio guys sat me down for a grilling, hoping I'd help them decipher this bewildering new world of protest, pot and political upheaval.
—Newsweek

'Most of us would prefer to look at cartoons in a magazine than read a poem,' says Kooser, noting the common complaint that poetry is hard to decipher or full of elusive, hidden meanings.
—The Christian Science Monitor

With the vast amount of information available, it may be difficult to decipher the best source of information to help determine the most important aspects of surgery.
—Los Angeles Times

These are questions the experts have heard time and time again as parents try to decipher whether their teen’s behavior is 'just a phase' or whether an adolescent is really headed for trouble.
—USA Today

Word Ingredients

When deciphering a difficult code, one has to move “off or from zero” understanding towards fully figuring it out, thus cracking the code.

origin: Arabic

Knowing language of origin or etymology is not important; but is sometimes interesting enough to make the word memorable. Only such words have associated maps.

Word Theater

Monty Python and the Holy Grail Brother Maynard is able to decipher the writing on the wall.

The panel shows a small video clip of either the word in actual use or a scene that represents the meaning of a word. This not only breaks up the monotony of studying words but also provides another avenue to strengthen word meaning. Enjoy!

Word Constellation

Click for an interactive map of this word

Related Words

ascertain+ ·

bewilder ·

discern ·

elucidate ·

exegesis ·

explicate ·

fathom ·

incisive ·

limpid ·

lucid ·

luminous ·

overt ·

patent ·

pellucid ·

perspicacity ·

resolve+ ·

unfazed ·

abash ·

addle ·

byzantine ·

confound ·

confute ·

conundrum ·

convoluted ·

discomfit ·

disconcert ·

disquiet ·

elude ·

enigmatic ·

garbled ·

incoherent+ ·

inscrutable ·

irresolute ·

labyrinthine ·

latent ·

nonplussed ·

obfuscate ·

opaque ·

paradox ·

perplexed+ ·

unlettered ·

Similar sense

Opposite sense

Word Variants

indecipherable
adj

→

unable to be understood, read, or interpreted

The section lists important variants and alternate definitions of the headword. Knowing variants will often help you both remember and understand the word. Not all variants are listed - only the ones we think that are important for you to know.